2 years − "i wan' doit!"

translation: “i want to do it.” that’s little man’s favorite phrase these days. trying to help him do something, regardless of how complicated it is, is quickly met with an authoritative “i wan’ doit!” at which point we let him “doit”… unless he wants to drive. we don’t let him “dothat”.

but more importantly,
parker delgado havlan has successfully reached “the big 2−0!"
(minus the “0”).
this is said to be a terrible period, but you can’t spell “terrible” without “elite… brr”.
think about it.
aunt sus provided the tiny cupcakes as well as the little man's favorite new thing in the world...
giant elmo doll!
parker likes to pretend he's feeding him and giving him water. it's very generous albeit completely ridiculous on a practical basis.

a few highlights...
halloween with the cousins.
this year kobi went as a stormtrooper on a smoke break, hana went as a peacock that may or may not have just robbed a bank, and parker went as a little boy who loves to wear his parrot outfit but doesn’t care much for the hat part of it.
i think they all nailed it.

the year of the traveling poopy pants continued as parker and mommy headed to california once again for a quick visit with family (for halloween, see above) and then daddy joined in for a long weekend in north carolina with our friends, the seilers.
with robert seiler.
if grant wood were alive today he probably would have wanted to paint this.
it was very rustic. we even got to ride on a deer!
sorry, make that A "DEERE".
(http://bit.ly/GOsnsr)

then it was off to atlanta to visit aunt pam and uncle atta…
and with parker clearly happy as can be with his surroundings, mommy and daddy snuck off to...
belize!
this was at the mouth of the 5 km long Actun Tunichil Muknal cave.
and yes, you swim into it.
and also yes, there’s a totally intact incan skeleton inside it.
historically creepy!

the belize trip was 6 full days and it was awesome.
BUT... we genuinely missed our little man almost immediately.
BUT... we also took a LOT of naps and each finished two books, so...

then it was back to atlanta where we were joined by parker’s favorite bostonian girl,
emeline.
jackson was there too, but this was just the cutest picture i could find.
sorry jackson!

for the record, parker wasn't the only one to have FUN IN ATLANTA.
(http://bit.ly/H1qfMT)

by the way,
this is just one reason it’s so easy to travel with parker.

and this…
is what all that travelling does to you.

but since christmas was comin' up there was still one trip left.
in keeping with our now 2−year streak of christmas in the tropics...
CLUB MED DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
(http://bit.ly/GOsC6J)

the usual crowd joined us - "big" parker, hae-sin, speed, hana, kobi, sus and alan - and the usual blast was had.
unfortunately we'll have to wait for the humidity of new york summer for the little man's hair to curl up like that again, but it sure was cute while it lasted.

as for this edition's song, i thought i'd go all the way back to the year of my own birth...
(1964 - not a typo)
it's a soulful little groove by lee rogers called "i want you to have everything".
dig it...

i want you to have everything
i want you to wake up in the morning
and listen to the robin sing
i want you to lay down in the evening
don't worry 'bout a doggone thing

i'd say "that's gospel", but it's actually r&b.
it's also exactly how i feel whenever i look at my little man.